Washington, DC [US], May 15 (ANI): Visual analysis by The Washington Post reveals that India’s recent air strikes inflicted significant damage on runways and infrastructure at six Pakistani airfields, marking some of the most substantial military attacks in decades between the two nations.
The strikes, part of Operation Sindoor launched on May 7 in retaliation for the April 22 terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, targeted terror infrastructure deep inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK).
Reviewing over 24 satellite images and videos, experts confirmed heavy damage to three hangars, two runways, and mobile buildings used by the Pakistan Air Force, with some targets located up to 100 miles inside Pakistan. Walter Ladwig, senior lecturer in international relations at King’s College London, described the strikes as “the most extensive Indian air attacks on Pakistani military infrastructure since the 1971 war.”
Geospatial analyst William Goodhind noted that “high-profile targets were hit in precision strikes aiming to severely degrade Pakistan’s offensive and defensive air capabilities.”
India claims to have struck 11 bases across Pakistan, calling the attacks “measured and calibrated,” while Pakistan confirmed infrastructure damage but did not disclose the number of bases affected. Pakistan’s military reported six air force personnel killed during the strikes.
Key damaged sites include Nur Khan Air Base in Rawalpindi, where two mobile control centers were destroyed, with smoke visible in videos. This base is crucial due to its proximity to Pakistan’s Strategic Plans Division, responsible for nuclear warhead security, and military headquarters. Satellite images showed large holes in aircraft hangars and damage to control towers at Bholari and Shahbaz Air Bases. Bholari’s hangar houses a Saab 2000 Airborne Early Warning and Control System aircraft, valued at tens of millions of dollars. At Sukkur Airport, an apparent radar site was destroyed, and a hangar collapsed. Large craters were left on runways at Mushaf Air Base and Sheikh Zayed International Airport, with repairs underway at Mushaf. According to the Pakistani newspaper Dawn, Sheikh Zayed Airport’s Royal Lounge suffered significant damage.
Ladwig highlighted a strategic shift by India, noting previous air operations were limited to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir or remote regions, but now India is conducting broader military reprisals against terrorist attacks.
Operation Sindoor resulted in the deaths of over 100 terrorists linked to groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM). After Pakistan’s cross-border shelling and attempted drone attacks, India responded with coordinated strikes damaging radar, communication centers, and airfields in Pakistan.
On May 10, India and Pakistan agreed to cease hostilities.
In a national address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared that Operation Sindoor sets a “new benchmark” in India’s fight against terrorism. He affirmed that India will respond firmly and on its own terms to any terrorist attack, targeting terror bases precisely, and rejecting nuclear blackmail.
“First, if there is a terrorist attack on India, a fitting reply will be given. We will take strict action at every place from where the roots of terrorism emerge. Secondly, India will not tolerate any nuclear blackmail. India will strike precisely and decisively at terrorist hideouts developing under the cover of nuclear blackmail,” Modi said.
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